


Wednesdays

by thekatthatbarks



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 12:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14019816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekatthatbarks/pseuds/thekatthatbarks
Summary: Wednesdays were good days.





	Wednesdays

 

                Ino hummed contently as she bounced around Chouji’s kitchen, cooking them dinner for their _date night_. Chouji watched her from the table with a small smile and a warmth in his chest that he thought might burn through him someday. He glanced at the flowers she had brought today, sitting proudly in a vase in the center of the table. _Sunflowers._

 

                “You know, I would’ve helped with dinner if you had waited, Ino-chan,” he told her, though he’d already said as much earlier.

 

                She shrugged and looked over her shoulder at him with a smile. “I don’t mind, Chouji. I’m almost finished anyway.”

 

                “I just –“ Chouji paused, feeling guilty. “What if I hadn’t gotten back tonight from my mission?”

 

                Ino didn’t turn around as she poured servings on to plates. “I knew you were due back today.”

 

                “But what if I was late?” Chouji insisted. He didn’t like picturing Ino waiting in his apartment by herself, at a table with a dinner she had prepared and candles she had lit. It made his heart ache.

 

                Ino brought the food over to the table and shrugged at him again with a smile. “But you _weren’t_.”

 

                Chouji bit the inside of his cheek but let the subject drop at least for now as Ino poured them some wine. When she sat down she leaned back and propped her feet up on Chouji’s lap like she had a habit of doing. Chouji smiled at her and put his free hand affectionately over her ankles under the table.

 

                She took a drink of her wine and complained, “I _hate_ when one of us goes on a mission by ourselves.”

 

                “Me too, Ino.” Which reminded Chouji that he needed to go see Shikamaru at some point tomorrow when he had a chance.

 

                “I dragged Shikamaru out to pick up flowers with me yesterday,” Ino told him with a snort as took a bite from her chopsticks. “Kami, I missed you so much. That lazy dork doesn’t know anything about flowers. He kept grabbing the wrong ones then _took a nap in the middle of the field_.”

 

                Chouji chuckled. _He’d missed her too, he always did._ “I’m sure Shikamaru knows _some_ about flowers, at least as much as I do.”

 

                “Well then, he pretends he doesn’t in some plan of getting me stop dragging him out to the fields. Which won’t work, I might add. I know he’d much rather man the store or deal with the orders, _but_ it’s always fun to drag him around with me.”

 

                Then, they went on like that through dinner, just laughing and sharing stories from when they were away from each other. But Chouji couldn’t stop thinking back to earlier and Ino eventually noticed something was off. She tapped his stomach with her foot. “What’s wrong?”

 

                Chouji sighed and his eyes fell onto the flowers and candles in front of him. “Has that happened before, Ino?”

 

                “What?”

 

                He met her eyes, hoping she’d answer honestly and not play it off. “Have you gotten ready for our date night, cooked and set everything up, and then I didn’t make it back in time from a mission?”

 

                Ino looked down at her plate and it was the only answer he needed. It broke his heart and he didn’t know how to make it up to her. “Ino, maybe we shouldn’t always have it on a certain day each week. With our lives, we’re both always on missions and –“

 

                “No,” Ino interrupted him, getting up from her chair with the shake of her head and picking up their dishes. She didn’t look at him as she carried them to the sink. Chouji sighed and walked over to her. “Ino, I’m sorry.”

 

                She turned around and gave him a look. “Date night is on _Wednesdays_ and it’s _staying_ that way. It’s in the middle of the week and gives me something to look forward to and then, we can usually still do something on the weekend. It’s perfect.”

 

                Chouji didn’t understand why she was being so stubborn about this. “Ino – “

 

                She put her hands on his chest and gave him a small smile, though it was a little tight. “It wasn’t that bad, Chouji. I just ate my part of the dinner and packed the rest away, so you coule eat it the next day. The flowers were still alive when you came home and it’s not like the candles burnt all the way to their wicks.”

 

                “But what about _you_?”

 

                Ino shrugged. “I was _fine_. I took my makeup off and slipped on one of your shirts, crawled into your bed and went to sleep. No big deal.”

 

                Chouji still didn’t feel right about this. Ino _had_ to have felt something; sad, lonely, _disappointed_. It was because of him, because he couldn’t finish his missions on time. He couldn’t get home quick enough to her.

 

                Ino must’ve been able to see his thoughts playing out on his face and her jaw set. “No, Chouji, don’t – I can see what you’re thinking. _Don’t_.” She let out a deep breath and stepped away from him just to come back a second later and point a finger at him. “I _am_ happy with _us_ , okay? I know how – I know you still have… _doubts_ but Chouji, this is _working_.”

 

                Chouji glanced away from her knowing eyes. _Even after all these years and she was still able to hit all his buttons._ She sighed and reached out, taking his hands in hers. “You’re not giving yourself enough credit, Chouji. You don’t think enough of yourself. You know how much you mean to me? Everything you do _for_ me and _to_ me?”

 

                Chouji’s chest felt tight but he looked back to her, seeing her smiling at him with affection in her eyes made the tension lessen. She went on, “You are a _constant_ for me. You have always been there for me and I am sure you always will be. You are a steady rock in my life; never changing, just like our date nights. Having someone like that in your life, it’s _so_ comforting. When you come visit the flower shop and help out without even needing me to ask, just because you _want_ to? When you hold me at night and always make sure I have some of the blanket? How you try and name every flower I give you? The way you kiss me like you’re _coming home_. Chouji, those things – and so many other things – mean so much to me. I love _you_ so much. So, no, I don’t mind waiting for you to come home from a mission just like I’m sure you don’t mind waiting for me. Do I get a little disappointed when you’re late? Yeah, but that’s _life_ and then we move on. The happy more than makes up for it.”

 

                Chouji pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head against hers. _He’d never be able to get over how much she loved him._ She relaxed in his arms and hugged him back with a happy sigh.

After a minute, he leaned back. “Okay, date nights are still Wednesdays.” He kissed her forehead. “I love you, too.”

Ino smiled widely up at him and reached up on her tippy toes for a proper kiss which he happily obliged her.

 

                _Wednesdays were good days._


End file.
